Tintin and the Will of Hartley Manor
by crayonsruletheworld
Summary: Tintin is given a new assignment - the will of Mr. Hartley. His money and estate was supposed to have gone almost entirely to charity, but distant cousins are now the sole inheritants. Is there a later will? Why are there men tailing Tintin? And what does the beautiful girl who just moved in across the hall have to do with this?
1. Chapter 1

I don't own The Adventures of Tintin, of any of the characters from it.

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Brussels 1930

Chapter One – Enter the Stranger

Tintin dried and put away his breakfast dishes, calling "Snowy!"

The obedient white terrier ran to his feet eagerly as his master put down the checked dish towel and crouched to pet him. "We'll have a new assignment today, Snowy. I wonder what it'll be?"

Striding to the door, he picked up his blue sweater and pulled it on. Adjusting his collar in the mirror by the door, he grinned and asked his pet, "Ready?"

As Snowy responded with a bark of approval, Tintin opened the door. He let Snowy run through first, then paused as he noticed a note at his feet. He registered Snowy barking at someone on the stairs as he opened the note and read it quickly. It read simply, _Don't get involved._

"Well, that's the first time I've been threatened about a case I haven't started yet." Tintin muttered, tucking the note into his pocket. Only more intrigued, he closed the door and called for his pet. "Snowy?"

Looking up, he saw that the dog was being petted by a young woman on the stairs who balanced a large suitcase on the stair below. Starting down the stairs, he called for his dog again. "Snowy, come here!" Speaking to the woman who straightened up, he added "Sorry, he's always curious. Would you like a hand with that?" Tintin gestured to her slightly battered suitcase.

"Yes, please!" She replied. Tintin could now see her face clearly, and quickly took note of her fashionable and functional clothing. The deep grey travelling suit and hat only made her short blonde hair and large blue eyes stand out more. _Lovely,_ Tintin thought impulsively before dismissing the thought and easily lifting her large trunk.

Turning to continue up the stairs, he asked "Are we to be neighbours, then?"

As they came to the first landing where his apartment was, she replied "Oh yes," and gestured to the opposite side of the hall. "My flat is just here." As Tintin lowered her trunk to the floor outside her door, she pulled out her keys and offered him her hand. "My name's Eva, by the way."

Taking it, he replied, "Tintin. Miss Eva, on your way in did you happen to see anyone by my door?"

Her eyebrows came together slightly as her hand left his, and Eva replied "I believe there was a man leaving just as I was came out of Mrs. Finch's room with my key. I didn't get a good look at him, though. Why?"

"Someone left me a note, is all." Tintin turned away, and added, "I hope you find this part of Brussels a suitable place to live, Miss Eva."

"This part of Brussels?" She turned away from her door to look at him. "I'm not from Brussels at all, I only just arrived."

"Oh." Tintin smiled, "It seems I was mistaken then. It was nice meeting you, Eva."

Turning to walk down the stairs, Tintin could hear Eva unlocking her door and entering her apartment. "I recognize that style of suitcase," he said quietly, "they're only sold in Brussels, and hers seems a few years old. I wonder why she would lie?"

Heading out the front door of his building, the curiosity about this young lady quickly left his mind as he stepped into the street and started towards the newspaper office.


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter Two – The Assignment

At the newspaper office, Tintin said his good mornings as he passed the desks of other journalists. Heading straight towards the editor's office, he knocked decisively.

"Is that you, Tintin?" A gruff voice called. "Come in."

Tintin pushed the door open to reveal not only Mr. Crawford the editor, but Thompson and Thompson standing around the editor's desk. Closing the door behind him, he asked "What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, you see, Tintin," Thompson started, "that Mr. Hartley has died."

"Mr. Hartley?" Tintin asked, immediately interested.

"Yes. A wealthy fellow who had given a certain orphanage his word that almost all of his money would go to them." The other Thompson continued. "However, when his will was looked over after his death, it would appear that all his money and his estate are going to distant cousins that have popped up from nowhere."

"Curious," Tintin commented.

"Exactly," Thompson added, "We suspect foul play, though everything in the will seems to be in order."

"Any marks on the body that would indicate murder?" Tintin asked.

"Surprisingly, no." Thompson replied. "It would seem he died in his sleep.

"Yes, it's quite mysterious," Mr. Crawford said with interest. "And Tintin, you're just the man to get the story. Have it on my desk Friday morning, alright?"

"Excellent, Mr. Crawford." Tintin nodded, already feeling his brain start analyzing the story as he exited the office.

"Yes, we'll be seeing you Mr. Crawford!" Thompson added, as the two men in bowler hats followed Tintin out.

"Now Tintin," Thompson addressed the journalist, taking him from his thoughts, "Here's the address of the orphanage and Mr. Hartley's manor, where these cousins of Mr. Hartley's are staying at."

Tintin took the paper Thompson offered him as they reached the street. "Thank you both," he nodded to the two men, "but before I start asking questions, I have to visit the Captain."

"Quite right, Tintin," Thompson replied. "We're in the middle of doing background checks on these cousins, so we ought to be going as well."

"Look me up when you've finished that," Tintin smiled in a slightly distracted way as they parted ways. "I wonder who these cousins really are, Snowy." He questioned aloud as his white terrier barked his agreement. "Why would they just appear out of nowhere like that? And was Mr. Hartley really murdered?"

About twenty minutes later, Tintin found himself at the docks by Captain Haddock's ship. _I wonder if Haddock could help, _he wondered. _After all, Marlinspike Hall is quite close to the Hartley manor. _Spying one of the members of Haddock's crew, he approached him.

"Excuse me sir, but where would I find Captain Haddock?"

"He ain't here today, Mr. Tintin," the sailor replied.

"Well, do you know where he would be?" Tintin asked, a sudden thought occurring to him.

"No, sir. We've been wondering that ourselves."

"Thank you for your time. Now, if you'll excuse me –" Tintin quickly turned and jogged towards the city streets. _I need a cab. _He thought anxiously. _What if Hartley _was _murdered, and Captain Haddock is next? _


	3. Chapter 3

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Chapter Three – Curiosity

Tintin rushed up the front walk of Marlinspike Hall, and knocked urgently. After a minute, Haddock's butler opened the door and let him in.

"May I see the Captain?" Tintin asked quickly.

"The doctor left just before you arrived sir, so now would be a good time to," he replied solemnly.

"Doctor?" For a second Tintin felt cold, then he rushed into the house. "Captain!" He called. "Captain! Cap –"

Tintin stopped in the sitting room, seeing Captain Haddock unharmed other than a bandaged ankle.

"Now wha's all the yellin' abou'?" Haddock asked. "Ah, Tintin, good of you to visit me on my sickbed. For I may as well be sick, one broken ankle and I can't walk for weeks!"

"Broken ankle?" Tintin replied, still a little shaken but composed. "That's a pity." Sitting down, he continued. "Captain, I was given a new story this morning, and I thought you could help me."

"How can I?" Haddock gestured to his injury.

Tintin smiled at his friend as he sat down. "I don't need your legs, I need your mind."

"Ah, you know I haven't the head for mysteries!" The Captain protested.

"More precisely, it's your memory I'm after. Did you know Mr. Hartley? His manor's just a little way down the road."

Haddock thought for a second. "Older fellow? Sure, I remember him. But what's your latest story have to do with him?"

"He died." Tintin replied, standing and moving to the window. "Or was murdered. Something just doesn't sit right. It doesn't add up."

"Dead?" The Captain asked, looking genuinely sad as he twisted around to view his copper-headed friend. "He was always a kind fellow, I remember him from when I was a youngster. Too bad. Didn't he leave all of his money to one charity or another?"

"Why would you say that?" Tintin quickly turned away from the window to face the captain.

"Well, he was always giving his money away to anyone who needed it! Always said he had more than he could ever use. I just assumed it would all go to charity," Haddock explained.

"Well, it didn't. Some distant relatives pop out of nowhere and the whole estate goes to them - curious, isn't it? Especially that you had assumed he would leave his money for a good cause, since he had allegedly already promised it to one. But it was only in words, and his will says differently." Tintin paced now, the pieces coming together. "Was he coerced into making them his sole inheritors, then murdered? Or is there something else going on?"

"Alas lad, that's all I can help you with," Captain Haddock interjected, shaking the journalist from his reverie.

"Of course. Thank you Captain, you've given me what I needed. Now, I have to go have a look at Hartley Manor!"


	4. Chapter 4

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Chapter Four – Hartley Manor

Tintin nodded to Nestor on his way out, and then stopped short as the man began to speak.

"Excuse me sir, but this was left on the doorstep for you." The tall man held out a plain piece of folded paper with his name scrawled across it.

Recognizing the writing, Tintin's head snapped up as he took it. "Did you see who left it? Anything about them? It's very important."

Nestor shook his head. "No, I didn't see hide nor hair of them. If it's a threat sir, might I suggest calling the police?"

Tintin shook his head, shoving the note into his pocket. "No, I need to stay focused. I'll handle this later – tell the Captain I'll visit him later!" Nodding to Nestor, he crossed the threshold with Snowy and walked out to the street, puzzling. Suddenly, three taxis in quick succession whizzed down the road towards Hartley Manor. "Snowy – something's happened!"

Jogging in the same directions the cars went in, Tintin started to hear a buzz of voices gradually getting louder. Rounding a corner, he saw quite a crowd – several police officers and reporters, all surrounding the open gates to the estate.

Entering the crowd, he heard the police officers urging the crowd backwards. "This is a crime scene, you may ask questions later!"

Tintin weaved through people easily, until he felt someone bump into him from the side. He opened his mouth to apologize, but whoever it was had been lost in the crowd. Spotting a familiar set of bowler hats and canes, Tintin found his way to them and asked, "Thompson, Thompson – what's happened?"

"Ah, Tintin!" The Thompson to Tintin's right smiled. "We thought we'd find you in the thick of it."

"Thompson, please," said the other in exasperation. "He's asked us what's happened, so obviously he's just arrived!"

"No, he's asking us what's happened with the background checks," replied the first, "do keep up!"

"I'd like to hear both, actually!" Tintin said over the din.

"Well Mr. and Mrs. Williams – Hartley's cousins, that is – appear to be shop owners from a nearby city."

"So they're who they say they are?" Tintin replied.

"Yes, but we have sent a telegram to the police force there just in case." Replied the other. "And just this morning, it was discovered that Hartley Manor had been broken in to!"

"Was anything taken?" The copper-haired journalist asked quickly.

"A company of officers are checking now – in fact, here they come!"

Nodding to Thompson and Thompson, Tintin quickly ducked past the police and hurried to the officers emerging from the manor.

"Ah, Tintin!" One called.

"Was anything taken?" Tintin replied, keeping up his steady stride until he reached them.

"Strangely, no," the man replied, "and not a fingerprint on the Williams' safe, either. Funny business, isn't it?"

"Yes," Tintin replied, turning away. "Very funny indeed." His brow furrowed as he thought. "Now there are the inheritors, the robbers who take nothing, and the notes. There must be something here – what am I missing?" Remembering the note, he felt inside his pocket. Then he reached into the other one. Going through every pocket, he realized that he only had the first note. Looking up, he scanned the area around him as he remembered the man who had bumped into him amidst the crowd. But the only thing he saw was the back of a taxi, gliding away from the manor.


	5. Chapter 5

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Chapter Five – The Chase

Tintin ran to the gates and pushed through the crowd to the street, but the cab was gone. Cursing his luck, he looked around quickly. Spying a police car to his right that was just being approached, he called "I'll bring this back to the station later!" and slid into the driver's seat. Turning the keys in the ignition, he stepped on the accelerator as the car rumbled to life and Snowy jumped over his lap. "Thank you!" he called behind him with a wave as he slammed the door shut, and took off down the road.

Speeding up quickly, Tintin continued down the main road until he caught sight of a black cab. "I can't see the licence plate, it's all dirty – but if I follow the cab until that fellow gets out, maybe I can get some answers." Remembering he was in police car, he smiled. "Even better – I can stop them right here!"

Turning on his sirens, Tintin saw the car in front of him slow, then come to a stop. Bringing his own vehicle to a stop, he barely had his door open when he saw a figure dart out of the taxi.

Jumping out of the police car, Tintin took off after his objective. Starting down an alley, he saw a dark coat rounding the next corner. Calling his dog, the journalist and his companion darted through side streets after their quarry. After a few more abrupt turns, his pulse quickened even further. _We're gaining on them, _he thought as he saw the man's hat fall as he rounded a corner. Following closer behind now, Tintin rounded the corner and –

The crowded bustle of the main street pressed into him as he tried to weave through them, but in a few moments it was evident that he had lost him. Pausing, Tintin's eyebrows came together. "There goes my clue," he commented. Turning around, he continued, "I may as well return the car."

Hearing Snowy bark with excitement, Tintin remembered. _Of course, the hat!_

Ten minutes later, Tintin entered a small but obviously well-to-do hat shop that bore the same name as the one on the label of the hat. Turning the hat of the pickpocket over in his hands, he waited until the grey-haired shop attendant was finished with the only other customer. As he left, the woman turned to him and said, "Can I help you young man?"

"Yes, thank you," Tintin replied cordially. "Could you tell me who bought this hat from your shop?"

The woman took the hat from him, and looked it over. "One moment, let me get my husband – he remembers all of the hats we sell." She disappeared for a moment, and then came back with a man of about the same age. "Dear, this young man would like to know who this hat was sold to."

Taking the hat in his hands, the kindly hat maker smiled. "Why yes! This is one of the hats I made for Mr. Hartley."

"Of course, I don't know why I didn't recognize it right away! Such a lovely fellow." His wife added.

"Mr. Hartley was a patron of your shop?" Tintin asked.

"Why yes indeed! He bought his hats here ever since our business started and wasn't doing very well, and continued right up until he passed on a few days ago." The man smiled and handed the hat back to Tintin. "But how did it come to be in your possession?"

"I'm a journalist." Tintin responded. "I'm writing about Mr. Hartley." Not wanting to upset the helpful couple, he nodded and didn't extrapolate. "Thank you for your time."

Tintin left the shop with Snowy at his heels. "Mr. Hartley's hat . . ." he muttered as he continued slowly down the street. Turning a corner, he was so deep in thought that he didn't notice a figure emerging behind him. They struck him over the head, and when Tintin awoke Mr. Hartley's hat was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

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Chapter 6 – No Discovery

"Tintin! Why are you lying down in the street?"

Tintin winced as he opened his eyes, just having come to his senses. He recognized the voice as Professor Calculus'. "Hello, Professor." He forced out the words as he started to stand, Snowy nudging him upwards as he went. After a few seconds, he looked around and frowned. "Of course, the hat is missing." Feeling in his pockets, he found that the note was gone too.

"You've lost something!" The Professor deduced. "Do you need help looking for it?"

"No thank you, Professor. What are you doing in this area of town?"

"No, I wasn't just lying around!" Replied Calculus, for he was quite deaf but would never admit to it. "I was at the library, doing some research."

"Certainly. But Professor, I'm working on a story and I have to –"

"No no, don't be sorry! I'll see you sooner or later at Marlinspike Hall, I'm sure." Calculus smiled, and continued on his way.

Tintin smiled at the back of the thin Professor, and then remembered his circumstances at Snowy's yelp.

"What is it, Snowy?" Tintin asked, glancing at his dog then turning his gaze towards him with more intensity as he saw his dog sniffing the air. "What do you smell?"

Snowy bolted forward, out of the alley and into the street just past it. Tintin's speed increased as he tore after his beloved pet, a new excitement lit within him.

Dodging through people to follow his dog, he called out apologies in response to people's disgruntled cries. For a few seconds he lost sight of Snowy, but he heard the dog's loud yelps. _Snowy's caught him! _Tintin thought excitedly. Breaking through the crowd, he quickly spotted his white dog.

Tintin stopped, disappointed. His dog was being petted and caressed by his new neighbour, Miss Eva.

Her hair under the same stylish cap she had worn that morning, she saw him as he approached. Smiling, she commented "I knew I wouldn't see the dog without his master. Tintin, a pleasure to be seeing you again, and so soon after we'd met!" As she spoke she straightened, and her almost startling blue eyes met his.

"The pleasure's all mine," Tintin replied with a similar smile, finding his disappointment falling away and honesty coming into his words. "I was just on my way back to the apartment; would you like to accompany me?"

Taking his arm, she smiled again with a just a second's glance back. "I'd love to."


	7. Chapter 7

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Chapter 7 – More Questions

They began to stroll down the street, but after a second Eva set a quick pace. Tintin quickly matched her stride, and in the uncharacteristic second it took him to figure out what to say, Eva began to speak.

"That message this morning, did you find out who it was from?" She spoke casually, glancing up at him with a smile.

"Not yet." Tintin smiled back. "I've been trying to find out all day."

"It's that interesting then?" Her voice was playful as her blonde curls danced.

"I wouldn't exactly call it interesting, but it's certainly something that needs answers. I'm a journalist, you see."

"Oh? For a big newspaper?"

Tintin thought he saw her glance back, then responded. "I wouldn't say it was a large newspaper, but a fair size."

"And what are you working on now?" At this, she glanced at him with real interest in her eyes.

Tintin questioned Eva's interest, and after a second dismissed that thought. "A certain Mr. Hartley died, and was supposed to leave a great deal of money to charity. It turns out he's left it to some distant relatives, and there's a great deal of unanswered questions about it all. That's where I come in." Before she could continue, he added, "Eva. Is there a last name that goes with that?"

"Harrison." Eva replied with a smile. "Eva Harrison. I suppose it was a little unconventional of my to introduce myself by my first name, but then again, you don't strike me as someone who's usually in conventional circumstances. Comfortable with them, yes, conventional by nature, yes . . . but not someone who's often in conventional situations."

Tintin chuckled. "You're quite right, you know. You . . ." his voice trailed off.

Eva had pulled a mirror out of her pocket and was pretending to use it to check her appearance. Putting it away, she said quietly "We're being followed."

Tintin didn't turn, but quickened slightly. "We?"

"I don't know if they're following you or me." She replied, her sweet voice changing to a much more serious note. "Turn left here."

Turning down a side street, Eva let go of his arm. "I don't know if they're following you or me, but either way it's nothing good. You're in this all the way now, and I don't expect you to trust me."

She abruptly pulled Tintin around a right corner, and he saw that the light in her eyes had turned deep and pensive. They stopped, and for a second he searched her face. "What do you know?"

"I know Mr. Hartley was murdered, and I know that this very minute his home is being searched to find his real will." Eva tilted her chin up defiantly.

"How?" Tintin pressed, his gaze as intense as her own.

Eva put a finger to her lips as they heard the voices of the men who followed them starting to echo between the buildings. From the opposite direction, they suddenly heard Snowy barking. They both immediately looked down, and found the clever dog gone.

The echoing footsteps increased in tempo, coming closer. Not thinking, Tintin flattened himself almost completely against the wall for a second as they ran by.

Listening to their footsteps recede, Eva and Tintin both let out the breath they were holding as Tintin eased himself away from where he had pinned her to the wall.

Looking back up at her, he asked squarely, "How do you know."

Eva's eyes searched the ground with an almost panicked look, then steadied as she turned her eyes to Tintin.

"Because," she replied, "I'm his daughter."


	8. Chapter 8

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Chapter 8 – Some Answers

"Great snakes," Tintin said quietly. His brain turned, and then he began asking questions. "If –"

"This isn't the place," she began quickly, moving to the right.

Blocking her path, Tintin asked, "Why now? Why didn't you go to the authorities, why does no one know he had a daughter, where are the records that Mr. Hartley was married, why did you wait to tell me?"

"We aren't safe here." Eva replied through gritted teeth. "There are more men than those two who'll be coming after us. I'll tell you everything once we get somewhere else –"

"No more games, tell me what I need to know now."

Eva's eyebrows jumped, surprised at the firmness in his voice. "You – you don't know these people." Her voice shook almost imperceptibly. "First they tried to bribe me, then they threatened me, and I've had to break in, and find somewhere to live where I hoped they wouldn't find me –"

Realizing what he had done, Tintin's tone gentled immediately. "You're right. I know somewhere safe where we can go."

Eva nodded. "Then let's go now, chances are there's already more of them looking for us."

After Snowy had found them, there was twenty more minutes of alleys, and Tintin finally reached the back entrance he was looking for. "Here it is," he said quietly, looking around and kneeling in front of the door.

"Here is what?" Eva responded.

After picking the lock, Tintin stood up and held the door open for her. "Our safe house."

Eva cautiously entered into the darkened hallway, her perfume just strong enough to be picked up by Tintin as she passed.

_ I still have to keep my wits about me,_ he thought, despite himself. _I do want to trust her, but that doesn't mean I should. Especially since I do find myself . . . _Tintin shook his head to get rid of that thought, then crossed the threshold himself and closed the door. Pulling the deadbolt, he turned around. "Upstairs." The journalist found himself whispering reverently, not wanting to disturb the darkened house.

"No one lives here?" Eva asked a little anxiously, but she too had begun to feel the quietness of the old house calm her. "Is there a light anywhere?"

"Better to leave them off, so no one knows they're here." Tintin replied quietly, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. After a second of silence, he finished, "follow me, we're going upstairs."

Silently, they ascended the narrow stairs past the second floor. Still moving quietly, Tintin led her to a hall closet with boxes piled on the floor, as well as on a shelf. Eva waited silently, and she noticed that Snowy did the same without order. _He must come here often if even Snowy knows this place,_ she thought suddenly.

Suddenly, the back wall of the closet swung outwards silently. "Guard the door Snowy," Tintin directed quietly, motioning for his pet to stay. Moving his eyes upward, he offered his hand to Eva.

Without thinking, she took it and eased herself over the boxes. Coming to the other side, she realized that beyond the door was a ladder. Turning her eyes to Tintin, Eva commented, "You never did tell me if anyone lives here."

Letting go of her hand, Tintin turned to the ladder and stepped on the first rung. "A family lived here a long time ago. The parents died in an accident. No one's lived here since."

He got to the top of the ladder, and Eva followed him. Coming to the top, he was there to help her again. "And the children?"

"Just one," Tintin replied as he helped her up with both hands.

Eva felt her foot catch on the top, and she abruptly fell forward into his arms. Two breathless seconds passed, until they both stepped back.

"The house has never been officially claimed," Tintin answered. After a second, he spoke almost to himself as he turned around. "Though someday it might."


	9. Chapter 9

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Chapter 9 – Safe House

Eva took a deep breath. _Someday it might. What does that mean? _Tintin's surprisingly sturdy shoulders were outlined by the faint light coming in through the window he was facing, turning his copper hair paler. He stayed where he was, not facing her, and Eva tore her eyes away to examine the room.

It wasn't wide, but it was very long. Windows lined either side at various distances, and it was unfurnished except for an armchair not too far to the left. Suddenly, Eva felt as if she had invaded something private – something no one else had seen. To take her mind off it, she spoke. "This room is bigger than just the house we came through."

Tintin finally turned. "Yes, it is. It's the connected attics of all the townhouses beside it, but there only seems to be one entrance." He motioned towards the place in the floor they had come through, and approached her.

Eva's breath hitched, and then she realized that he was only moving to close the trapdoor she hadn't seen. Now it was her turn to move to the window, the pale light illuminating her face. She stayed there, looking fixedly at the glass panes though she was aware of Tintin approaching her from behind, and stopping a few feet away.

"There isn't much I can tell you about these people," Eva began, unmoving, "But I can tell you about my father, and some other useful things."

"Anything you can tell me could be of use." Tintin replied cordially. Eva turned to him now, her eyes wide in her anxious face. He was suddenly aware of a vaguely unsettling realization – that he trusted her completely, and that his usual politeness was not the thing most needed right now. Gentler, he added, "Start from the beginning."

Eva turned back to the window, and began her story in a quiet, steady voice. "Mr. Hartley isn't really my father, he's my uncle. My grandfather had disinherited my mother, but when Mr. Hartley became the master of the house he tried to find his sister. He did find her, but she was very sick, and my birth father had already died. She died too, shortly after Mr. Hartley found her. He took me back here, to Brussels and raised me as his own. I was two years old then, so I don't remember much of my real parents. Mr. Hartley has been my father all these years." She took another deep breath.

"My father didn't send me off to school, but kept me with him and brought in the best scholars from all over Europe to teach me. He was very generous with everybody, but made it a special point to make sure I had all the education a young lady should have. We only kept a cook and a butler, but both vanished after he died. Paid off, I expect. He was found dead in his bed – they said he died in his sleep, but I don't believe it."

Tintin watched Eva's face carefully. Her voice was still steady, but her eyes glistened.

"The morning he was found dead, these 'cousins' show up with a will. My father always told me that he would leave his money to whoever needed it and the house and a little more would go to me. When they arrived – I didn't know what to make of it. It couldn't be. My – my father wouldn't have left everything to me. They said the house was theirs now, that I'd have to leave. I tried to argue, and then they offered me a bribe. I got angry, and they threatened me. They locked me into the library, but I knew a way out. So I took what money I had stored away and left the house in secret."

Eva's breathing had gotten more unsteady as she continued, but she moved forward nonetheless.

"I cut my hair and dyed it, and took an apartment. I thought the best place in the city to not be looked for would be in the apartment building of the famous reporter Tintin." Now she allowed herself a small smile as she wiped away her errant tears. "Unfortunately, they had seen fit to threaten you anyway. I was the one who stole the second note from you."

Tintin was uncharacteristically silent for a moment as the gears in his brain turned. "That's it," he said. "That's the answer!"


	10. Chapter 10

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Chapter 10 – Realizations

"That's it!" Tintin's mind worked quickly, and he didn't notice anything as his thoughts came out in a tumble. "You didn't send me the notes, so it must've been the false Mr. and Mrs. Williams." He began to pace behind Eva. "You broke into the house the night before to look for the will, that's why the safe hadn't been touched. But you didn't find it. After hearing I'd received a message, you followed me to determine whether or not it was a threat. You pick pocketed the second one, so it was you I chased. Mr. Hartley's hat was being worn by you, but you wouldn't have the strength or height needed to knock me out. That must have been one of the men working for Mr. Williams. After that, their orders obviously changed – they may have figured out who you are despite your disguise. Then they would have assumed I already knew all that had happened, and that I would go to the police. Now their aim is to capture, or worse. They were both armed. But it would be dangerous for Mr. and Mrs. Williams to stay at the house in case the real will was found. Unless they're there only because they're looking for the real will . . . They're still after us, so they must not have found it yet." Tintin stopped pacing and turned to Eva again. "That means if we get to it first, we can still prove your story."

Eva still held the same posture, her back straight and her head up as her skirt grazed her calves.

Tintin paused for a second, and then crossed the hardwood floors until he was face to face with her. "Eva?" he asked quietly, searching her face as she gazed through him.

_The sun sets so early at this time of year, _she thought suddenly, realizing it had gotten darker for the brief time they had been in the house. Eva took a deep, shuddering breath as her eyes came to focus on Tintin's chest, which had replaced the window she had been looking through. Her eyes darted up to his, and his intent but gentle expression startled and calmed her at the same time.

"When I broke in, I only had time to search his study. I knew it wasn't likely that he would've hidden the will somewhere so obvious, but it was the farthest spot in the manor from where the guards were posted." Eva felt her strength returning as she held the journalist's unwavering gaze. After a second's pause, she felt peculiar and turned away. _Focus, Eva. _"What can we do next?"

Tintin followed her motion to the trapdoor, and opened it. "The library may have some information about the manor's history, or another way in. That should be a good place to start." He stepped back as she began to descend the ladder first.

Eva soon found herself in the second floor hallway as Tintin descended the ladder, closing the trapdoor as he went. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something shining. Turning, Eva noticed a small table with a picture frame on it, reverently but simply placed in the center.

Touching the frame gently, she saw three people in black and white. A kind-faced woman with fair hair holding a baby, and a man who would have looked serious with his dark hair and glasses, excepting a familiar untameable coif.

Eva turned away from the frame as Tintin closed the closet door. In the few seconds he was occupied, she felt something inside her shift. This serious, polite, adventurous young man knew loss too.

By the time Tintin had finished closing the door, she had begun to descend the stairs with Snowy at her heels. Eva paused as Tintin drew level with her, and she laced her arm through his. Something irrefutable passed between them then, in the quiet of that house, as they descended the stairs. They stayed quiet until they stepped onto dimly lit pavement, and then they heard a shout.


	11. Chapter 11

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Chapter Eleven – The Library

Down the street, they saw the silhouette of a man. He yelled again. They weren't close enough to make out the words, but they saw him start towards them as a shot went off.

Though they had quite a lead, Eva's pulse quickened. Tintin was already reacting; he led her quickly around the corner, and then she was aware enough to start running along with him.

After a few more turns Tintin slowed to a stop, and they paused, pressed against a dark brick wall. "We're enough ahead that we should be able to reach the library without them catching us. But the key is to not be seen." He pulled out a gun from his coat, and loaded it quickly. Looking up, he saw that Eva was doing the same. After a second, he asked, "Is that –"

Seeing the surprise in his face, Eva replied, "Necessary precaution. I was unarmed, and you had weapons in your apartment. You wouldn't have noticed it was gone."

Knowing that it wasn't the time for talking, the journalist looked around the corner they had just passed. He saw three men a hundred yards away, all brandishing guns and looking around. Turning back, he began to start off in a new direction, nodding to Eva. He heard her footsteps following him, and allowed a second of worry to enter his mind.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning lit the dark streets. The rain began to pour down, masking the sound of their hurried steps. Glancing backwards, Tintin began to move faster as he heard shouting.

"Eva, you go first." Tintin slowed, and called over the rain, "The back of the library is at the next left." He let her go ahead, disregarding her worried glance, and then paused at the corner with his gun out. He heard the voices get louder, but after a second he turned and continued to run, his gun at the ready.

Just as he turned around the side of the library, he heard a shot go off. Running faster, he saw Eva pulling open the side door ahead of him. Catching the door, he passed through it and closed it. Waiting, he closed his eyes. A minute later, he heard footsteps running past the door and gradually fading away.

Tintin stayed like that, his back against the door, his eyes closed, as his breathing gradually slowed. Despite this, his heart did not unclench. Usually, he could feel the adrenaline but no fear when guns were out. _I only get focused. I stay calm. Why – _but Tintin knew the answer.

He felt a tentative hand touch his face. "Are you alright?" Eva's voice was soft. After a second, the ghost of a touch was gone.

The journalist opened his eyes. "Yes. Shall we?" he gestured to the library.

Eva's steady eyes were still concerned, but then they broke away.

"Ah, Mr. Tintin!" The grey-haired librarian smiled. "Miss. I thought I heard someone come in from the side door. But that rain is making such a racket! Come, dry off; is there anything I can help you with?"

"Well, there is one thing," Tintin replied.


	12. Chapter 12

It takes five seconds to tell me what you think and it helps me write faster! x

Chapter 12 – To Hartley Manor

After having their table loaded with books and floor plans, a newspaper was added to the top of the pile as the librarian took her cue to leave.

For a long time they sat silently, only the turning of pages and the dull thudding of discarded books illustrating the silence.

Reaching for a new book, Eva found her fingers close over the newspaper. Having forgotten about it, she pulled it towards her and opened it to the page she wanted. After reading a few sentences, she felt her blood run cold. "Oh no," she whispered, her hand flying to her mouth.

Tintin looked up from the blueprints he had been studying, and came to her side of the table quickly. He gripped the back of her chair as he began to read.

_Hartley Manor to be torn down Saturday. _

"They can't find the will, so they'll cover their tracks by tearing down the house." Eva breathed.

"They're tearing it down tomorrow, so we'll have to get there first so we can find the will and stop them." Tintin returned to his side of the table, and gathered up the floor plans. "Does it say what –"

Suddenly, on the floor below, the door to the library slammed open as many pair of boots began stomping inside.

Tintin and Eva froze, and after a nod, they kept close to the shelves and sidled to the edge of the balcony.

Four police officers stood in front of a very cross librarian. "Why, what is the meaning of this? Four police officers, at this hour, tramping mud into my –"

"It's bad business, ma'am. Very bad." The man who led them took of his hat, and looked conflicted. "We're looking for Mr. Tintin – we have a warrant for his arrest. We have three accounts of a person matching his description breaking into Hartley Manor last night."

There was a beat of silence, but Tintin didn't wait to hear any more. "Eva, we have to go."

She didn't move.

"Eva, I know I way out."

She still stayed frozen.

Gently, Tintin added, "Trust me."

That seemed to break into her reverie, and Eva got up and followed him. Tintin led her to a narrow door she hadn't noticed before, which opened easily.

"This goes out through the restoration department," Tintin explained as he quickly closed the door behind them.

Soon, they were out in the street, and Eva turned to him. "We have to go to Hartley Manor now. Let's find the will and finish this."


	13. Chapter 13

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Chapter 13 – Breaking In

Hartley Manor was finally quiet when Tintin and Eva arrived.

"All the reporters are gone." She said quietly as they gazed at the house from the shadows across the street.

"Do you know a way inside?"

Eva glanced up at the journalist. "I know a way onto the property, and the cellar door should be unguarded. I didn't think of it last time I broke in, because it hasn't been used in so long. And if I had forgotten about it, they certainly won't think to guard it."

Tintin nodded. Words would be wasteful now; they both knew what had to be done.

The rain had turned into a light drizzle, making everything shadowy. _All the better_¸ he thought as he followed Eva across the street, and slowly down the side of the property.

After they had passed the side of the house, Eva stopped as if she had dropped something.

Tintin looked around, and said quietly, "All clear."

Turning to the tall, iron fence, she found the two bars she wanted and pulled. They came away soundlessly and effortlessly, and she gestured to Tintin. He stepped through, and found that as he entered the hedge in front of it, there was a cleverly disguised path through. _You'd never see it unless you knew it was here. _He turned back to see Eva fitting the bars back into place and turning to him.

"I found this place as a child, even my father didn't know about it." Tensely, she turned to the view in front of them. "The cellar doors are just behind those bushes there." She gestured to a small crop of plants at the side of the house. "There are guards patrolling, three of them. They stay mainly by the doors, but they added the third to the other side of the house, where I broke the window. Look, there's one coming past now."

They stayed silent as the hired muscle with the flashlight slowly patrolled the side of the building. As soon as he had turned the corner and was out of sight, Eva whispered "Now."

Silently, staying low, they made their way to the shrubbery. Getting behind it, they stayed perfectly still as another guard passed the side of the house, his flashlight cutting through the grey drizzle. After he passed, they stayed completely still and silent for a second. Then Eva began to quietly pull away patches of moss until two old, wooden cellar doors were revealed.

They froze as the third guard passed the house, then quickly swung the door in the ground open. Eva sighed at the silence, thanking their lucky stars for silent hinges. Stepping onto the first stair, she made her way down into the cellar as Tintin followed, quickly swinging the door shut.

For a few moments, they were perfectly still. Suddenly, Eva saw movement behind Tintin. Opening her mouth to warn him, her warning quickly turned into an unheard scream as he was hit over the head, and her mouth was covered by a large hand.


	14. Chapter 14

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Chapter 14 – Captured

Tintin winced as he came to, the world coming into focus despite the dull thudding in his head. What he saw was an image he wouldn't soon forget – Eva was tied to a chair and gagged, her eyes wide, with three men behind her.

Tintin found that he was tied to a chair as well, but he wasn't gagged. "What do you want." The journalist's voice was low, darker than it usually was.

"What do I want?" the third man, smaller than the two hired goons, crossed in front of Eva's chair. "I wanted you to leave us be, and for your little lady friend to take her bribe and go."

"Mr. Williams." Tintin replied evenly. "Or would you prefer to be called by a different alias?" He kept his gaze and his voice calm now, though beneath the surface his mind was racing.

"No, that one suits me just fine."

The man was cool, calm. His features were regular but ordinary, someone who could be anyone. _He's good, _thought Tintin. _But we'll find a way out of this._

"It's down to this, really." The man paused, and came to stand directly in front of the journalist. "I'd hate to lose this house. It's worth quite a lot. So you can tell me where the will is, and you and your friend walk free. Or in the morning, we leave Miss Eva inside the house when the wrecking ball comes, and turn you over to the police. I don't think they would doubt us this time, considering we caught you breaking in." Mr. Williams paused. "So. What will it be?"

Tintin didn't wait. "We don't know where the will is."

The man waited a moment, and then replied, "Very well. Your decision has been made. If you change your mind, there will be guards at the door. You can tell them the location of the will. If not, I'll leave you to your goodbyes." He crossed to the door and added casually, "If I let the police get their hands on you, I can and will personally make sure that you never walk free again. Think about it."

The two goons followed him out of the study, but only one set of footsteps continued down the hall as the door swung closed.

After a second, Tintin sighed in frustration. His eyebrows drew together. A minute of complete silence passed, as he sunk into deep thought.

His eyebrows finally drew apart, and then he levelled his eyes with Eva's. He realized that one of the men had taken her gag out, but she had remained silent.

"They wouldn't have let us go. He was a good liar; he controlled almost all of the natural reactions. But not all of them."

Eva nodded. "I know." She took a second to strain against her bonds. "Are yours loose at all?"

Tintin didn't move. He had already shifted in his chair earlier, and found his limbs securely fastened. "No, I checked before." He sighed again. "We have nothing left to work with. I'm so sorry, I never should have –"

He broke off as they heard a soft _woof _from behind a desk.

"Not quite nothing." Eva replied with a smile.


	15. Chapter 15

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Chapter 15 – The Will

Snowy trotted forward, and Tintin's resolve returned. _No one is going to die today. We can still do this. _

"Snowy, can you chew through these ropes?" The dog immediately went to Eva, and in a minute she was free. Standing, she rubbed her wrists and moved to help the journalist. She untied his hands as Snowy chewed through the ropes holding one of his ankles.

Eva moved to undo the other ankle, at the same time Tintin's did. "It's alright, I've got it," he said quietly as their hands tangled. After a moment she pulled away, and in a second Tintin was standing as well.

"What are we going to do?" Eva asked, starting to pace.

Tintin stopped her, gently putting his hands on her shoulders. After she had silenced, he put a finger to his lips then pointed to the door. "The guards are still out there." He whispered.

Eva nodded. "We're free now. But how do we get out? We have enough time to look for the will if we can get out of this room undetected."

Tintin glanced around. "This is Mr. Hartley's study, if I'm not mistaken. You already searched it – but I came across something interesting in the floor plan." He turned, and strode towards the desk.

"What did you find?" Eva's footsteps moved to follow his, her voice equally as hushed.

Tintin turned, and again they were face to face. "You were searching the study when you were caught, so it would be assumed that there was only one door. And it would appear that there is only one. But in the original plans for the house, there were two – a second that led to an adjoining room. The door would have been on that wall." He gestured to the wall behind the desk.

Eva shook her head. "But there was never a door there – not for as long as I remember!"

Tintin crossed to the wall, and began to feel the panelling. "But you did find the way through the fence and the hedge. I think that if you found that, it's reasonable that there are other secrets in this house." Pressing his ear to a section of panelling, the journalist quietly knocked. "We just need to find where the hollow space is, and –"

He stopped short as Eva came around the desk slowly, and with purpose. After a second, she turned to a plain lamp on a small table that Tintin hadn't previously noticed.

"This lamp has never worked, but my father would never let us throw it away. I always thought it was strange." As she spoke, Eva ran her hands over the surface of the lamp. Finding the knob, she turned it once. The lamp stayed unlit. She turned it again, and a third time.

Suddenly and silently, a piece of the wall opened on invisible hinges.


	16. Chapter 16

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Chapter 16 – The Identical Room

Eva and the journalist didn't even look at each other, instead immediately going through the doorway. It was a study identical to the one they had just come through, except cool and dark.

Eva let out a breath. "It's the same room. But why –" she broke off, and shook her head. "It could be anywhere, and we don't know how much time we have until they find we're missing. Let's just start looking." She walked right over to the desk, and began to open the drawers.

Tintin moved to the paintings, taking them off the walls and seeing if there was anything hidden in the frames.

They worked steadily for an hour, going through the entire desk, all the frames, and the bookshelf. Finally, at the end of the last shelf, Eva sunk into a chair. "Why. Why is there this extra room, that's just the same? Why would it be here, but it not have the will? Why? Where else could it be?" With that, she buried her face in her hands.

Tintin sighed too. "I was so sure it was here. But we have a few more hours, surely. We could look –" He was cut off with a bark from Snowy. "What is it, boy?"

Eva looked up. She saw the dog pawing at a table. _That's odd, _she thought. _That table shouldn't have – _she stood up. "Tintin, I've got an idea. Help me move this table."

The journalist nodded, not needing explanation. They picked up either end of the small table, and with Eva's direction, moved it across the room.

"Now, that one. Let's move it back to where this one started." Picking up the same table, they began to move it back. When they got it across the room, Eva exclaimed "Look! There are grooves in the floor!"

They lowered the table and set it down, where the legs for perfectly into the shallow grooves. As the weight of the table rested on it, they heard a faint click.

"That's it!" Eva cried. Moving across the room to where they had abandoned the first table, she pointed to the floor. "There are grooves here too, and they match this table! Help me move it into place!"

Tintin crossed the room, and sure enough, they heard another faint click as they set the table down in its proper spot.

"I didn't notice it before, but there are a bunch of little things not in order – these chairs are switched, and so are those lamps. I only noticed it because of the legs on that table. Here, help me move them all too where they belong!"

Racing around the room, they moved things into their proper positions with satisfying clicks at every movement. As Eva set down the last lamp, they paused as five clicks sounded in quick succession.

Suddenly, an extra drawer in the woodwork opened from the desk. Eva slowly crossed to it, and pulled out a large manila envelope. Opening it quickly, a smile sprouted on her face. "The Last Will and Testament of Arthur Hartley."


	17. Chapter 17

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Chapter 17 – The Wait

Suddenly, they heard a noise. In their excitement, they had forgotten to close the door to the second study.

Thankfully, as the door to the first study opened, the door to the second silently closed. They both held their breath as they heard voices in the next room.

_It must be rigged to close if the first door opens, _Tintin thought.

Despite the thick walls, they could hear everything in the next room perfectly.

"They're gone, you fools! How could you let them get out?"

"Sir, they didn't come past us – and the window is still locked."

"Then they must be in here somewhere – go, look!"

Shuffling could be heard in the next room, and Tintin stayed perfectly still. He felt Eva's fingers grasp at his, and he squeezed them hard without breathing.

The search may have lasted seconds or lifetimes, but Eva and the journalist were both completely frozen, only their clasped hands revealing that they were holding on for dear life.

A voice from the other room cut through them, but they didn't move. "They're not here, boss."

"Very well. Get everyone controlling the perimeter – if they can't leave the house, we still win. As for me," the next sentence was punctuated by the creak of a well-loved chair, "I will wait here. If they haven't been found by morning, we'll let the house go down with them inside it."

The footsteps of the hired hands got farther and farther away, and soon everything was silent with only the occasional sound of a page turning from the first study.

The frozen, cutting silence wasn't broken until Eva slipped her hand out of his. Tintin turned to her, and found her with a finger to her lips. _If we could hear them, they may be able to hear us. _He nodded, understanding, and gave Snowy a silent command.

Moving silently to the desk, Eva had a paper and pen in seconds.

_What now? _She had written.

Taking the pen, he wrote _We wait. _

He paused, pen in hand. Tintin looked to the side, at Eva who was there, so delicate and brave, holding her father's real will. He again put pen to paper.

_Then, when he leaves, to the roof. _


	18. Chapter 18

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Chapter 18 – The Roof

Eva and Tintin sat silently with their backs to the desk for the rest of the night, not speaking, not resting. They were both completely determined, and had no need for words as the will of Mr. Hartley lay on the floor between them.

The air suddenly seemed to stir as the chair in the next room creaked, and the dull _thump _of a finished book being laid to rest was heard.

They were ready as the sound of footsteps receded, silently getting to their feet. Suddenly, the door to the second study swung open. They froze for a second, but there was no one in the room beyond.

"Whoever rigged this was a genius," Eva commented as they slid past the open door. After a second it closed behind them, and she added quietly, "and I'm forever indebted to them."

She moved for the door, but Tintin stopped her. "Wait. We should both know the fastest way to the roof – in case."

Eva noted that he didn't say what the case would be. The glow from the window setting a quick pace for her pulse, Eva gave the journalist directions as adrenaline began to enter her system. _We're so close. Now, it doesn't matter what happens to me. As long as the will gets to someone who can put the money where it belongs. _

"That's all then. Ready?" Tintin asked, moving his hand to the doorknob.

Eva paused for a second, and opened her mouth. _How do I – _she closed it. _There's no time now. _She simply nodded, letting her liquid blue eyes hold her feelings.

Tintin checked the hallway quickly and waved at Eva to follow. Staring into the hallway, he let Eva past him and they began to move faster.

"There's the stairs to the roof," Eva pointed with her free hand as Snowy followed at her heels.

Suddenly, a shot rang out behind them. Reacting instantly, Tintin put a steady hand on Eva's back and urged her forward. "Go!" He called, not bothering to look back at the armed man he knew was behind them.

Eva was already through the doorway, her gun aimed down the hall and her face fierce. "This one's mine – take the will and get to the roof!"

Tintin took the will from her but instead tossed it to Snowy, who caught it in his mouth. He heard two shots go off in quick succession, before taking Eva around the waist and pulling her away from the hallway. Pulling her to the stairs, he said nothing as they began to move up together, ducking instinctively as another shot went off.

They turned a corner, and came to a door. Eva began to pull at it frantically.

When it didn't give, she turned to move past Tintin. "Maybe I can buy us some time, I can –"

"_No,_" Tintin said forcibly, taking her by the shoulders. "Eva." His voice was gentle, despite the yelling behind them. Her face was white, her eyes huge. "I know. I do know. Just because he died here, it doesn't mean you have to. You don't have to be tied to this place. Those who are gone wouldn't want us to linger."

The frenzy in her eyes vanished. In a second, she was on her toes, pressing her lips to his with a touch that was there, then gone. The next thing they knew, they had shot off the lock and pushing open the door to the roof.


	19. Chapter 19

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Chapter 19 – The End

Out on the roof, the wind whipped at their clothing as the sunrise tainted the air grey.

Seeing the wrecking ball, Eva and Tintin began to wave their arms at the man operating it, who was moving steadily towards the manor. Seeing them, he stopped the machine.

"What are you doing?" The man yelled. "This house was scheduled to go down this morning!"

"Send for someone to telephone the police!" Tintin called back. "We've found Mr. Hartley's real will – this house won't be going down today!"

As he finished, Eva took his arm. "Look, in the streets."

Surprisingly enough, police cars were gathering in front of the house. _How could they know to be here? _Tintin wondered.

They watched intently as Thompson and Thompson, backed by a dozen officers, entered the yard. Mr. Williams, flanked by two men came to meet them.

"Is there a problem, officers?" Mr. Williams stopped ten feet from the police.

The next few minutes passed in a blur, where Mr. Williams was led away in handcuffs, and Mrs. Williams and his men followed. Shortly, a few officers came to the roof and escorted Tintin and Eva to the police cars. They went silently to the police station, where they stayed all day. They explained their story over and over, while hearing another one. The officers that Thompson and Thompson had sent to investigate the Williams' back story had returned with the real Mr. and Mrs. Williams, a couple who had accepted money for the use of their names. Just as these officers had come to the police station very early that morning, a worried and limping Captain Haddock had entered, declaring that Tintin had not been to his apartment all night, and that he couldn't possibly have committed a crime. Tintin was fully pardoned, and allowed to leave with much apology that evening.

Eva was then led away for the reading of the will, and the reassignment of Mr. Hartley's estate. Tintin hadn't seen Eva for hours, and decided to leave. _There's nothing more I can do here. At least not on as little sleep as I've had._

The sun was now setting as Tintin trudged up the street to his apartment. Exhausted as he was, he couldn't bring his mind to rest. Unlocking the front door, he started up the stairs slowly, his hand on the banister. Though the same companion was at his heels, and he returned to the same building, it struck him that something had changed after this particular adventure. It seemed lifetimes since yesterday morning, when he had first seen Eva on those stairs. He paused there, remembering how picturesque she looked.

He smiled to himself, and again thought of her fleeting kiss. He opened his apartment door with an exhausted sigh, willing his mind to rest. Locking the door behind him, he moved through his living room, turned right into his bedroom and sat on the bed. He took his shoes off as Snowy curled up beside him, quite content.

Tiredly, he went through the motions of putting on his pajamas. Somehow, it all felt different. He felt older, but he couldn't quite grasp why.

_You don't have to be tied to this place. Those who are gone wouldn't want us to linger._

His own words echoed in his mind.

_I'll figure it out tomorrow, _he decided. As his ginger head rested upon his pillow, the final, half-formed thought in his mind before he fell asleep was only of the girl who now owned Hartley Manor.


	20. Chapter 20

The End is not the actual end guys, don't worry about it.

Epilogue

Tintin locked the door to his apartment behind him. A week had passed since the fateful night he had found the will with Eva, and with story in hand, he felt determined.

At the bottom of the stairs, he knocked on his landlady's door as he had every day. She opened it after a second, a smiled a little sadly. "I still haven't heard anything dear. She's not been in the building."

Tintin thanked her, and turned to the door. Pushing it open, he let out a smile as the sun hit his face. He started down the street, feeling the thickness of the stack of papers in his hand. It was a good story, but he knew that it would never really encompass what had happened.

The journalist pursed his lips as he remembered Thompson and Thompson recounting Mr. William's confession of killing Mr. Hartley. _He was a good man. I would've liked to have known him._

Before he knew it, Tintin was inside the newspaper office. Knocking on Mr. Crawford's door, he was soon invited in.

"Here's the story, sir." Tintin nodded, handing the editor his pile of papers.

"Excellent." The usually gruff Mr. Crawford gave him something that could have been interpreted as a smile. "Terrible about that Hartley fellow, but good work Tintin. And good story, I'm certain." He gestured to the papers on his desk.

"Well, thank you." Tintin paused. "If that's all, I ought to be off."

"Ah, well . . ." Mr. Crawford and clapped the young man on the shoulder. The affect was awkward yet affectionate as he led him to the door, saying finally, "Good luck."

Coming back to the street, Tintin walked slowly through the city he knew. He moved quietly, unobtrusively, past places he knew well – his apartment, the library, and finally, turning away from crowded streets, his parents' house.

He stood across the street, not entering. Speculating silently, something he had forgotten for a long time just beneath the surface.

_What to do now. _He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his unruly ginger hair, which bounced right back. Ginger like his mother, the quiff like his father. He remembered them well, but the sadness had been quiet for a long time. _They're in a better place. _

But the house was still filled with them, in the quiet space that he kept perfectly clean, with the curtains always drawn.

"A house that needs a little life, isn't it?"

Tintin turned around, surprised to see an elderly woman. "Yes," he began slowly, "It certainly is."

Her eyes crinkled as she nodded. "There've been plenty of young people wanting to take it off the hands of whoever's kept it all these years, but they've never had any word from the owner. I've lived on this street a long time, young man – I remember the accident that killed that lovely young couple. They were so in love – I think they'd want to see love in that house again, were they here now."

Tintin smiled at the woman. "I think so too. Thank you."

The woman's eyebrows jumped, but she smiled knowingly. "What for?" Without waiting for a response, the kind-faced lady turned and went without another word.

Tintin turned and continued down the sunlit streets, sifting through his thoughts. Almost before he realized it, he was at Marlinspike Hall. He jogged up the front path, eager to see the Captain who had gotten his cast off the day earlier.

After knocking on the heavy door, he found Nestor giving him a rare smile. "Seems the weather's making a turn for the better, isn't it sir?" The butler let the guests in with familiar ease, and Tintin soon came upon the sight of Captain Haddock bounding down the stairs with a wide grin.

"Ah, I can almost smell the docks from here, laddie!"

Tintin chuckled. "I imagine you must be looking forward to getting outside after this past week."

"Captain!" An admonishing Professor Calculus entered, his hair sticking out at odd angles. "You know I don't usually involve myself in this, but the doctor clearly said you were to have no fun for at least a week!"

"No, I'm not supposed to run!" Haddock replied loudly.

"That's exactly what I said!" The professor nodded. "Now Tintin, would you like to see my latest invention? I'm still working on it of course, but it really is fascinating . . ."

Tintin went with the excited Calculus, but he knew that there was something that still needed to be done. Soon enough however, he was leaving Marlinspike Hall, happy but restless.

_I've done so much for so long, _he thought. _Gone all over the world, seen incredible things . . . it's amazing how what you want most can change so much. _

His mind switched tracks as he stopped across the street from Hartley Manor. It still looked the way it had a week earlier, but something in the air was different. The journalist's eyes alighted on a sign, and suddenly the difference became apparent to him.

The sign said simply, _Hartley Manor, Home for Children. _

The smell of bread baking was in the air as Tintin nudged open the unlocked front gate. The front door of the manor was opened by a tired, but happy woman, who was then followed by children yearning to play in the sunshine. They laughed as children should; they laughed like they had all they needed.

Walking up the front path, Tintin had to stop himself from just marvelling at the difference all these new lives had made to the house. Approaching the woman who had let the children out, he said, "Hello there. My name is Tintin, I'm a journalist. Could you tell me what's happened here?"

The woman's face was lit with joy, despite its tired lines. "It's Mr. Hartley's doing! And his daughter's, bless them both. He left us the funding to support the orphanage, but this –" she gestured to the estate "- was Miss Hartley's doing. She kept a few small rooms at the back of the house for herself, but now the orphanage has enough space, toys, anything we need for the children! We'll never have too much room for more little ones. And look at them, they're so happy! But oh, it'll be Miss Hartley you'll be asking for, isn't it dear?"

Tintin took a second to take it all in. _She found a way to bring new life into this house. _

"Yes, I would like to see her. Very much."

The woman looked sympathetic, recognizing his serious tone. "I'm sorry sir; I don't know where she's got to – packed up all her things and left about an hour ago. She said she would come visit, but not where she was going to. Did you know her?"

"Ah – yes, I did." Tintin replied, and managed a smile. "Thank you for your time."

Turning away, he moved out to the street and began a slow walk back up the street of fine houses. _She's gone. Just like that. _He couldn't quite believe it. _She's gone. _Blocking his flow of thoughts, he felt the disappointment acutely. _It's her prerogative to go, I suppose. She's handled her affairs here; she had no particular reason to stay. _He took a deep breath, and admitted to himself, "Except maybe me, I had hoped."

Snowy whined sympathetically, and Tintin kneeled to scratch behind his ears. "Come on, Snowy. Let's go home."

It was a long walk back to his flat, in which Tintin worked to accept the turn of events that had touched him so.

He quietly walked through the front door of his building, climbed the stairs he knew well, and unlocked the door to his apartment. He closed the door behind him, and for a long moment stood with his back against it. Opening his eyes, he moved mechanically to his small kitchen, putting the kettle on for tea. He comfortably began to fix lunch for himself and Snowy, when a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

_It began with a surprise at the door, and it ends similarly. _It struck Tintin how appropriate this was as he stepped back from the counter, and made his way to the door.

He took a second unlocking it, then opened it and stopped.


	21. Chapter 21

The actual end. Unless I write a sequel . . .

Epilogue Part 2

Eva stood there in Tintin's doorway, dressed in the same travelling costume she had worn when he first saw her. He was shocked for a second, but his disjointed brain still registered that she had a suitcase as he thought _so, she has come to say goodbye. _

She opened her mouth, and then closed it, looking uncharacteristically uncertain. "I don't know how I should – Tintin, I – Oh dear, I had what I was going to say all figured, and now here I am making a fool of myself."

She gave him a nervous smile, and Tintin instantly remembered himself. "Would you care to join me for lunch? I just put the kettle on."

"I – yes." Eva stepped inside, a little surprised. The journalist closed the door, and then took her hat and coat.

_I wonder what's gotten into him that he would forget that being alone in his apartment would be quite a shock to the landlady. I don't mind at all, I don't feel the least bit out of place. _Eva's mind went from silent to turning quickly and back as she was ushered into the kitchen, and had a chair pulled out for her.

The kettle was whistling, and Tintin promptly took care of it. Turning back to Eva, he set the small table with his simple, well-loved dishes. "I apologize for the conditions of lunch, I don't often have guests for meals," he explained as he began to prepare lunch for them both.

"No, I like it," Eva smiled, looking around the sunlit apartment. "A little snug for two, but it's really lovely."

Tintin brought out a pot of tea and a plate of sandwiches after a few minutes, and refilled Snowy's water dish. Sitting, he smiled a little hollowly and added, "I've never been much of a cook, either."

Eva laughed, and took a sandwich. She paused and bit her lip, not eating. "I – I just wanted to thank you. For everything. My father – he would've liked you. Without your help . . . I don't know where I'd be." She put her sandwich down and gazed at him seriously. "Everything. I don't quite know what to say or where to begin – this past week has been so crazy, moving the orphanage to the manor – but it's the best thing that could have been done. All the children, they're . . . they're so happy. And they're happy somewhere that I was happy, and that my father was happy. That's what he would've wanted. Not for me to stay there, to shut myself in and mourn, or to leave it and –" she hesitated, looking down, and continued, "- and leave part of myself there too." She reached across the table and took his hand in both of hers, tears glistening in her eyes. "And it's all because of what you said. You didn't just find the real will and save everything my father had worked for – you saved me, too." Eva spoke the last few words quietly. After a second, she pulled back and stood up, wiping her eyes. "Sorry for intruding, I should just go, I –"

"Would you . . . would you help me with something?" Tintin stood up, almost unsure of himself.

Eva turned back, looking at him. After a moment, she nodded. "What is it?"

"It's . . . a sort of project I've been deciding on. About my . . ." He gulped, and said the words. "About my parent's house."

Eva's eyebrows jumped a little, but the sadness in her face began to disappear. "How would you like me to help?"

"Well, I – I'm going to make it into an apartment building, like this one. With fewer rooms of course. But I was planning on going over this morning, opening everything up. All the curtains, let in some fresh air. And I was wondering, would you help me?"

Eva nodded sweetly, and said quietly, "I'd like that."

Tintin made a split-second decision, and stepped closer to take her hands. "Oh Eva, you can't possibly think this whole thing has only helped you. I – I don't quite know what to say either. But please don't leave Brussels. Stay. I would like that. Very much. Please."

After a second, Eva nodded and threw her arms around his neck. Now the tears did come, but she was laughing through them as Tintin held her in his arms. "Of course I'll stay! The suitcase is because I've been moving back in here all afternoon. I couldn't bear to go. And to know that you feel the same way – why, I couldn't have imagined it. Oh, darling." After a second, she pulled back and smiled. "I won't just help you make your parent's house into a set of flats, I'll be the first renter."

In the sunlit kitchen, Tintin kissed her, and then they pulled away only to embrace again, both smiling as widely as if they had been given the world.

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Eva asked, disentangling herself from his arms as they both went to answer it.

Thompson and Thompson stood together, their bowler hats on.

"The most inexplicable thing has happened – Tintin, we need you on the story!" 


End file.
